Profiles and interactions of gut microbiome and intestinal microRNAs in pediatric Crohn’s disease

Gut dysbiosis is closely related to dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) in the intestinal epithelial cells, which plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD). We investigated the relationship between fecal gut microbiome (GM) and intestinal tissue miRNAs in different stages of pediatric CD. Metagenomic analysis and miRNA sequencing were conducted to examine the GM and intestinal miRNA profiles of CD patients before and after clinical induction therapy and the controls. Twenty-seven newly diagnosed, therapy-naïve pediatric patients with active CD and 11 non-inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) controls were recruited in this study. Among CD patients, 11 patients completed induction treatment and reached clinical remission. Both GM and miRNA profiles were significantly changed between CD patients and controls. Seven key bacteria were identified at species level including